60 playing card poker game and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A poker game utilizes a 60 card deck, in which the deck consists solely of four sets of 15 cards each. Each set of 15 cards consists of five each of consecutive first value, second value and third value cards. The first set is in the suit of Spades, the second in the suit of Hearts, the third in the suit of Clubs, and the fourth in the suit of Diamonds. In one embodiment, the first, second and third values are Ace, King and Queen. A table of hand values ranks hands for purposes of determining a winning hand in a live or electronic version of a poker game utilizing the 60 card deck.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to card games and methods therefor and,more particularly, to poker game based on a 60 playing card deck andmethod therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Card games are popular both socially and for gambling purposes. Poker,and its many variations, is among the most common card games, especiallyfor gambling. The general aim of poker is to collect a five card handthat is superior to the five card hand of one or more opponents or totry to bet in such a way as to cause opponents to believe that theirhand is inferior and subsequently “fold” (concede or turn in) theirhand. In the game of poker, several players compete against one anotherfor one cumulative “pot” or sum of money. In live poker played atcasinos, the dealer or “house” draws a percentage, otherwise known as“the rake”, of each pot, thus generating revenue regardless of whichplayer wins each hand. In video poker, each player pays money to a videopoker gaming machine in order to play.

In a standard 52-card deck of playing cards, there are 13 separatelyvalued cards, from low to high in rank: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack(J), queen (Q), king (K), and Six (A) (although the Six can sometimeshave the value of the lowest card in the deck). Each of the 13 rankedcards comes in four different suits: spade, heart, diamond, and club fora total of 52 cards.

There are many separate types of games within the poker family (such asTexas Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Hi-low, and Omaha) all ofwhich provide alternative formats for competing over a five card hand.Typically, these games involve a standard 52-card deck, although somevariations use multiple decks or add a few cards called jokers which canbe used as a substitute for any card in the deck.

Of all the many variations of poker, Texas Hold'em is the arguably themost famous, and perhaps the most popular. However, many poker playersfind that waiting for a high-quality poker hand is both time-consumingand boring. Attempts have been made to liven up the game in severaldifferent ways. Gaming machines, such as video poker machines, allowpoker players the ability to play games with greater frequency. Inaddition, many of these machines offer variations on the game of pokerwhich cannot be found in casino poker rooms, such as the use of multipledecks and jokers. The proliferation of so many different variations ofpoker and the use of joker cards is a sign that poker player cravechange.

Most poker players associate the sight of more than one card of the samerank with quality (e.g., a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind),although these types of hands do not occur frequently. Therefore, amajority of the time, players receive unmatched cards, which contributesto the boredom and staleness of poker.

The present invention is directed to providing an improved poker method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a 60 playingcard deck is disclosed. The deck consists solely of: a first set of 15cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; asecond set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of fiveduplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second valuecard, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit ofHearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the secondset are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards; wherein the third setconsists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, fiveduplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third valuecard all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and thirdvalue cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor playing a card game of poker is disclosed. The method comprises:providing a 60 card deck of playing cards having: a first set of 15cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; asecond set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of fiveduplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second valuecard, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit ofHearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the secondset are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards; wherein the third setconsists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, fiveduplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third valuecard all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and thirdvalue cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive;dealing five cards to each of a plurality of players; comparing each ofa value of a five card hand of first player and a five card hand of asecond player to a ranking of hand values; and awarding a jackpot to oneof the first player and the second player having a higher hand valueaccording to the ranking of hand values.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, amethod for playing a card game of poker is disclosed. The methodcomprises: providing a 60 card deck of playing cards having: a first setof 15 cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates ofa first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; asecond set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of fiveduplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second valuecard, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit ofHearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the secondset are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards, wherein the third setconsists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, fiveduplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third valuecard all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and thirdvalue cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive;dealing five cards to a player; comparing a value of the five card handto a ranking of hand values; and awarding a payout to the player if thevalue of the five card hand qualifies for a payout according to a payouttable associated with the ranking of hand values.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of a 60 card deckconsistent with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a five-card hand, which is a top-ranked hand inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a 60 card deck consistent with an embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 1 the 60 card deck is madeup of four sets of 15 cards each, with each individual set of 15, inturn, consisting of five each of three consecutive playing cards in anidentical suit. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the threeconsecutive cards are a queen, king and ace. In one set of 15, the cardsare all spades, in a second they are all hearts, in a third they are allclubs, and in the fourth they are all diamonds.

Preferably, each poker player initially receives three playing cardsface down. There may then be a round of betting, to be followed by eachremaining player receiving a fourth card face down. Another bet can bemade, before a fifth card is given face down to each remaining pokerplayer. After the fifth and last card is provided to each remainingplayer, there is a final round of betting. Raises may be permittedduring one or more of the betting rounds, and players may be permittedto fold as an alternative to betting.

It should be noted that it may be desired to deal one or more of thefive cards face up rather than face down, to provide players with feweror more than three cards with the initial deal, or to otherwise vary thedealing pattern described herein. For example, the 60 playing card deckof the present invention could be utilized in a Texas Hold'em version ofthis game in which each player receives 2 cards down, followed by abetting round and then a total of five community cards following thestandard Texas Hold'em format. The game of Omaha, along with other pokervariations may also utilize the 60 playing card deck of the presentinvention.

Where more than one player remains after the final round of betting, theplayer with the highest ranked hand wins. In one embodiment, handrankings are based both on card value and suit. Exemplary hand rankings,with the highest ranked hand listed first, are as follows:

Hand Rank Queen, King and Ace of Spades with any two 1 other cardsQueen, King and Ace of Hearts with any two 2 other cards Queen, King andAce of Diamonds with any 3 two other cards Queen, King and Ace of Clubswith any two 4 other cards Five Aces of Spades 5 Five Aces of Hearts 6Five Aces of Diamonds 7 Five Aces of Clubs 8 Five Kings of Spades 9 FiveKings of Hearts 10 Five Kings of Diamonds 11 Five Kings of Clubs 12 FiveQueens of Spades 13 Five Queens of Hearts 14 Five Queens of Diamonds 15Five Queens of Clubs 16 Five Aces, mixed 17 Five Kings, mixed 18 FiveQueens, mixed 19

A poker game utilizing a deck as described herein may be played as alive game or, alternatively, may be played as a video poker game. For avideo game embodiment, a pay table may be utilized, associating payoutamounts with particular hand rankings and, optionally, the amountwagered.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in formand details may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. For example, while it is preferred that thethree cards comprise Queens, Kings an Aces, another sequence of threeconsecutive cards could be used, and to instead base a game based onsuch a deck on these three cards rather than Aces, Kings and Queens.Also, the sequence of suit values and of hand values generally may alsobe varied as desired.

1. A 60 playing card deck consisting solely of: a first set of 15 cards;wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates of a firstvalue card, five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicatesof a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein the first,second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; a secondset of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of fiveduplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second valuecard, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit ofHearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the secondset are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards; wherein the third setconsists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, fiveduplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third valuecard all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and thirdvalue cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive.2. The 60 playing card deck of claim 1 wherein, in each of the first,second, third and fourth sets, the first value card is an Ace, thesecond value card is a King, and the third value card is a Queen.
 3. Amethod for playing a card game of poker comprising, in combination, thesteps of: providing a 60 card deck of playing cards having: a first setof 15 cards; wherein the first set consists solely of five duplicates ofa first value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Spades; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the first set are consecutive; asecond set of 15 cards; wherein the second set consists solely of fiveduplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second valuecard, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit ofHearts; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the secondset are consecutive; a third set of 15 cards; wherein the third setconsists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, fiveduplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third valuecard all in the suit of Diamonds; wherein the first, second and thirdvalue cards in the third set are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15cards; wherein the fourth set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Clubs; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the fourth set are consecutive;dealing five cards to each of a plurality of players; comparing each ofa value of a five card hand of first player and a five card hand of asecond player to a ranking of hand values; and awarding a jackpot to oneof the first player and the second player having a higher hand valueaccording to the ranking of hand values.
 4. The method of claim 3wherein, in each of the first, second, third and fourth sets, the firstvalue card is an Ace, the second value card is a King, and the thirdvalue card is a Queen.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said ranking ofhand values ranks as a highest value hand a hand comprising at least aQueen, King and Ace of Spades.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein saidranking of hand values ranks as a second highest value hand a comprisingat least a Queen King and Ace of Hearts.
 7. The method of claim 6wherein said ranking of hand values ranks as a third highest value handa hand comprising at least a Queen, King and Ace of Diamonds.
 8. Themethod of claim 7 wherein said ranking of hand values ranks as a fourthhighest value hand a hand comprising at least a Queen, King and Ace ofClubs.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said ranking of hand valuesranks as fifth through eighth value hands, respectively, handscomprising five Aces of Spades, five Aces of Hearts, five Aces ofDiamonds, and five Aces of Clubs.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein saidranking of hand values ranks as ninth through twelfth value hands,respectively, hands comprising five Kings of Spades, five Kings ofHearts, five Kings of Diamonds, and five Kings of Clubs.
 11. The methodof claim 10 wherein said ranking of hand values ranks as thirteenththrough sixteenth value hands, respectively, hands comprising fiveQueens of Spades, five Queens of Hearts, five Queens of Diamonds, andfive Queens of Clubs.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said ranking ofhand values ranks as a seventeenth highest value hand a hand comprisingfive Aces of mixed suit.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said rankingof hand values ranks as an eighteenth highest value hand a handcomprising five Kings of mixed suit.
 14. The method of claim 13 whereinsaid ranking of hand values ranks as a nineteenth highest value hand ahand comprising five Queens of mixed suit.
 15. The method of claim 3further comprising the steps of: dealing three cards down to each of atleast two players; permitting each player to make at least one wager;dealing a fourth card down to all remaining players; permitting each ofthe remaining players to make at least one wager; dealing a fifth carddown to each of the remaining players; and permitting each of theremaining players to make at least one wager.
 16. A method for playing acard game of poker comprising, in combination, the steps of: providing a60 card deck of playing cards having: a first set of 15 cards; whereinthe first set consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card,five duplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a thirdvalue card all in the suit of Spades; wherein the first, second andthird value cards in the first set are consecutive; a second set of 15cards; wherein the second set consists solely of five duplicates of afirst value card, five duplicates of a second value card, and fiveduplicates of a third value card all in the suit of Hearts; wherein thefirst, second and third value cards in the second set are consecutive; athird set of 15 cards; wherein the third set consists solely of fiveduplicates of a first value card, five duplicates of a second valuecard, and five duplicates of a third value card all in the suit ofDiamonds; wherein the first, second and third value cards in the thirdset are consecutive; and a fourth set of 15 cards; wherein the fourthset consists solely of five duplicates of a first value card, fiveduplicates of a second value card, and five duplicates of a third valuecard all in the suit of Clubs; wherein the first, second and third valuecards in the fourth set are consecutive; dealing five cards to a player;comparing a value of the five card hand to a ranking of hand values; andawarding a payout to the player if the value of the five card handqualifies for a payout according to a payout table associated with theranking of hand values.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein, in each ofthe first, second, third and fourth sets, the first value card is anAce, the second value card is a King, and the third value card is aQueen.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein said ranking of hand valuesranks as a highest value hand a hand comprising at least a Queen, Kingand Ace of Spades.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said ranking ofhand values ranks as a second highest value hand a comprising at least aQueen, King and Ace of Hearts.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein saidranking of hand values ranks as a third highest value hand a handcomprising at least a Queen, King and Ace of Diamonds; as a fourthhighest value hand a hand comprising at least a Queen, King and Ace ofClubs; as fifth through eighth value hands, respectively, handscomprising five Aces of Spades, five Aces of Hearts, five Aces ofDiamonds, and five Aces of Clubs; as ninth through twelfth value hands,respectively, hands comprising five Kings of Spades, five Kings ofHearts, five Kings of Diamonds, and five Kings of Clubs; as thirteenththrough sixteenth value hands, respectively, hands comprising fiveQueens of Spades, five Queens of Hearts, five Queens of Diamonds, andfive Queens of Clubs; as a seventeenth highest value hand a handcomprising five Aces of mixed suit; as an eighteenth highest value handa hand comprising five Kings of mixed suit; and as a nineteenth highestvalue hand a hand comprising five Queens of mixed suit.